


The Dying of a Soul

by artie_writing



Category: Life of the Party D&D (Web Series)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-01
Updated: 2020-11-01
Packaged: 2021-03-08 21:07:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 727
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27333166
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/artie_writing/pseuds/artie_writing
Summary: Cassian had prepared for the fact that he would die alone. He had come to terms with that long ago, but then he met the Dawnbringers. He met Vanden. They were the most infuriating, idiotic, admirable, brave and just generally the most amazing people he had ever met.Because of them, he didn't get to die alone but he ended up leaving Vanden with a hole so big in his heart that it dimmed the light that Cassian loved so much.
Relationships: Cassian/Renard (Life of the Party)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 20





	The Dying of a Soul

**Author's Note:**

> Co created by Adira and Ironducklings on the LOTP discord.

Vanden felt the shattered remains of his heart break as he watched Cassian fall, just like he had done so many months before, this time with Mattjin's sword protruding through the warlocks back, sending him flying, falling off the ledge, his back arched, hand reaching out to Vanden. 

It had all happened too fast. 

Vanden had already tired, his wings sagging behind him, too tired to reach out and save his lover. No. Lover was too weak of a word, too plain and Cassian was anything but plain. His heart. His soul.

Vanden didn't think, didn't think about how every joint in his wings pleaded with him to stop, the wounds in his side from fighting who he thought were his soldiers, now loyal to his brother, were screaming out at him to give up but he didn't. He went flying right off the edge after Cassian. 

Cassian's eyes widened as he saw his angel of fire reaching out towards him, his wings glowing with a fire as bright as the ones Cassian saw in Vanden's eyes every time he looked in them. He felt a hand grip his and pull him upwards, into Vanden's warm embrace as the two of them….

Cassian looked up at Vanden's wings that were too bright, far too bright. He saw the edges of them start to burn away, the pain clearly laced on Vanden's face. They were both falling.

When they made it to the ground, on the steps of what was once Vanden's home, Vanden managed to land soft enough to cushion their fall, his dying wings having slowed their fall enough to not immediately kill them both. Cassian looked down and realised that poor Vanden, his Vanden had burnt so brightly in vain for him. The shattered look in Vandens eyes told Cassian that Vanden knew too, even though he didn't want to believe it.

‘No! No! It was supposed to be me!’ Vanden holds Cassian’s body closer, kneeling on blood-soaked stone. His voice breaks further. ‘It was supposed to be me.’

Cassian was an elf, destined to outlive the other by many years, something that they had to, with great difficulty, come to terms with, spending every moment they could with each other, as if it were their last.

Cassian had planned for the inevitability that he would die alone. He had never planned for the possibility that he would be begging for more time, that there was someone worth sticking around a little longer for. He chose his last thought as his life leaves him to be that at least he didn’t have to die alone.

Cassian smiles, shedding lazy tears as life leaves him. 'I never imagined i would deserve the kindness of dying in a loved one's arms.' he thinks. Then his expression sours. 'But Vanden doesn't deserve the cruelty of losing another person he loves.'

'I'm sorry...I don't want to leave you like this… I love you Sunlight.' his voice speaks clearly in Vanden's mind.

He makes one final spell, his henna faintly glowing as he sent his final message to the others. 

"Im sorry. You will all have to say goodbye without me. Keep him saf- keep him loved."

A sureness that his physical voice couldn't accomplish.

Vanden yelled out in utter grief and pain, his voice echoing through the halls, Sariel bursting through the doors outside, having ran from the fray as soon as she saw her best friend fall. She fell to her knees upon hearing Vanden, tears streaming down her own face, letting out a scream of her own. The others, upon hearing their friends pain, upon hearing Cassian's final words in their heads felt their own hearts shatter, Astra's song getting caught in his throat, Elise's lightning crackling over her as she yelled out and Boblem running to the edge and looking over, hoping to see his friend, safely in the air, saved by Vanden. Boblem didn't quite believe it yet. He didn't want to. He couldn't.

Angelic energy burst out from Vanden as the final feathers burnt from him, leaving a shadow as the light faded, dark skeletal wings left in place of the bright, shining ones that Cassian loved so much. His eyes faded to a shattered hollow black, no longer glowing with the brightness that he once had.

His Cassian, His soul was gone.


End file.
